Veterans to pitch business ideas at Harrisburg LaunchBox event Nov. 21

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - The Harrisburg LaunchBox powered by Penn State will host the Veteran Business Bootcamp Final Pitch session at 6 p.m. Nov. 21 in the Morrison Gallery, in the Madlyn L. Hanes Library on campus.

The event, sponsored by Truist as part of the Truist Empowering Entrepreneurs Executive Seminar Series, is the culmination of the 2025 Veteran Business Bootcamp.

Participants in the six-week virtual boot camp, held in partnership with the Rotary Veterans Initiative, developed and refined their business concepts through workshops on business planning, marketing and financial readiness. Coaching was provided by Ben Franklin Technology Partners and the PA Small Business Development Center.

On Nov. 21, five veteran entrepreneurs will present their business ideas in a live pitch competition and a total of $10,000 in awards will be distributed to the winning ventures. The veterans will deliver five-minute presentations to a panel of judges, who will evaluate the pitches based on innovation, feasibility, market potential and presentation quality.

Erin Godfrey, a Penn State Harrisburg student, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and winner of the 2024 Veteran Business Bootcamp, will be the keynote speaker. Godfrey, who also won the 2025 Invent Penn State Inc.U competition, co-founded Joy Tac LLC and will share her journey from military service to entrepreneurship and product innovation.

The event is open to the public. Those interested in attending should register online.